Batman Edges out Superman for the All-Time Price Record for Comic BooksOne million dollar sales of the first comic book appearances of Superman and Batman reconfirm the collectible value of rare comic books and original comic art.

News-Antique.com - Mar 01,2010 - Not even a recession could keep comic book buyers from taking advantage of two rare comic books offered for sale during the last week in February. The first issues of Superman and Batman comic books shattered the previous top-selling price record by selling at over three times the price of the previous record holder.

On February 22, the first Superman comic book, Action Comics #1, sold for $1,000,000 making it the first comic book to reach the million dollar threshold. Just three days later the first Batman comic book, Detective Comics #27, swept in to set a new comic book selling price record of $1,075,000. Both comic books had a certified grade of 8.0 on the CGC 10.0-point rating scale and are believed to the finest known specimens in existence of these rare comic books.

In 1938, Superman, the first modern comic book superhero, was introduced. One year later, Batman debuted. Both of these original issues sold for just ten cents each. “It’s hard to imagine that just over 70 years later, these historic comic books end up selling for over one million dollars,” comments Mike Todasco, founder of Sketch Maven, the World’s Greatest Original Comic Art Marketplace.

“The record sale prices for these rare comic books could be an indicator of the increasing value of rare comic books and original comic art,” adds Todasco. “While these comic books are pristine examples of these historic comic books, there are still approximately 100 in existence. With original comic art, each hand-drawn page is one of a kind which provides collectors with the chance to own something no one else owns.”

Like comic books, original comic art is sought out by collectors. Every page within a comic book starts out as an original hand drawn piece of artwork which is provided to publishers who then use that to mass produce the comic.

The pages of original comic art are typically returned to the artist after the comic book is published. Prior to the 1970s, many of the original comic art pieces were often discarded, destroyed or given away to fans. Original comic book art pages and covers are often made available for sale by artists and collectors through original comic art marketplaces like Sketch Maven (http://www.sketchmaven.com).

About Sketch Maven, Inc.
Sketch Maven, Inc. is the premier online marketplace for original comic artwork and sketches. Created by collectors for collectors, Sketch Maven, Inc. is the easiest place to buy and sell original comic art. The Sketch Maven team is committed to expanding the hobby beyond the current core market to a broader audience. To find out the latest news about Sketch Maven, follow them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/sketchmaven), Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/sketchmaven) and http://www.sketchmaven.com.